Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day. This was my first read of Jamie Day. A family gathers to hear the reading for their father's will during a approaching hurricane. Everyone has secrets and someone must die. Great read.

The Precipice is a family-owned hotel on the coast of Maine. After the death of their father, sisters Iris, Vicki, and Faith have come to the hotel for the weekend to claim their share. Each share a deep secret from their childhood as well as deeper secrets that not everyone knows. Charley Kelley is the nineteen year old chambermaid who lives at the hotel in exchange for working there. The return of the sisters to the hotel can pose a dangerous threat to Charley. Charley also has her own secret as she is also using a guest room to harbor a woman who is on the run.

This book is full of secrets and family drama. The looming hurricane adds and additional layer to the locked room mystery. There were so many twists which were so satisfying. I was glued to the pages. I loved the setting and all of the characters with their secrets. Just when I thought all secrets were revealed, more came out. A highly enjoyable thriller!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of One Big Happy Family. This was a good thriller/mystery read. There were some enjoyable twists and turns in this novel. I don’t always love the secluded hotel/location trope but this one was done well. Sometimes the characters were a little overdone/over the top but overall it was a good page turner and kept me engaged.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4 for this review.

#netgalley #onebighappyfamily #stmartinspress #jamieday

"One Big Happy Family" was very hard for me to get into in the beginning, but once I did I couldn't put down! This is the first book I've read by this author, but I will be reading more!

I love the characters and the family dynamics. Also, the fact there were several twists and turns. Just when I guessed the ending, I would get it wrong!

I recommend this book to everyone that likes a twist and turn novel.

I received the complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Trapped in a hotel on the coast of Maine during a major hurricane, each of the guests are hiding secrets and the only way to survive is to uncover the truth. What follows is an intense thriller with lots of twists and action!

This book was told from multiple points of view which helped keep me glued to the pages. The author did an excellent job keeping the reader on their toes. Lots of action, mystery, and even murder.

I felt the ending was rushed but it didn't completely detract from the story. If you like a stormy night thriller, this is a book for you!

This book was a bit slow paced except for the last quarter of the book. Some suspenseful moments, deception, a person bent on revenge with a few twists you won't see coming. A touch of romance. The Bishops are a screwed up family, with many secrets and have by intention or accidentally ruined peoples lives that they have encountered during the years. A philandering father has changed and shaped his daughters lives with some dire consequences which they find has left them guilt ridden. Trapped in their family hotel during a hurricane, will their secrets be revealed? Who will survive the night?

Received an ARC and this is my voluntary honest review.

I really enjoyed this book but it kept me up at night. Between wanting to finish and some creepy dreams, it mat not be the book for you. If that's what you like, the twists are amazing and who did it surprised me

One Big Happy Family didn’t work for me. It’s a book that mostly follows Charley, a maid at a hotel. I didn’t care about anyone (and all of them so insanely physically beautiful), and the twists were easy to guess. The family dynamics were disgusting to me, and the ending was extremely unsatisfying. I also don’t think everyone deserves a redemption arc in books like this.

The idea this author had is such a good one, but I wish it had been a novella. Nothing good happens until around 79 percent into the book. I was bored for so much of the time.

I will say I would try this author again. The writing wasn’t awful, though each character being so beautiful got old. I also couldn’t empathize with anyone. But I have hope that this author will write more books that I’ll enjoy one day.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

Nice though fairly standard thriller. The vibes were nice overall though I would say this one wasn’t a huge stand out . Thanks for the arc

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read your novel. I greatly enjoyed reading Charley’s story and the story of the sisters. It at times was hard to stay entrenched in the story and I found myself pulling out, but in the end I was surprised by the twists and think everything wrapped up nicely.

Received an ARC via NetGalley. Fun read! Suspense and action. Wish the book included a picture of the rowboat painting.

I had loved The Block Party, so I was happy to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of Jamie Day's newest book thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. This book is a fun, suspenseful read with the "common" scenario of murders taking place in an isolated hotel cut off from help because of a hurricane. It also has the reading of a will with unexpected results. There were lots of twists and turns and a cast of unusual, flawed characters. I missed the touches of humor that had been in The Block Party, but this was still a satisfying thriller. I'm sure mystery fans will enjoy this one.

Charley works as a maid at a hotel owned by George Bishop. Upon George’s death, his three daughters travel to the hotel for the will reading. Before the Bishops arrive, a stranger asks Charley to harbor her at the hotel. As the Bishops arrive, Charley must juggle hiding Bree and waiting on the Bishop sisters and their families. Charley gets uneasy vibes from all of the guests at the hotel and doesn’t know who she can trust. Read this book if you enjoy family drama, secrets, murder, lies, and deceit.
I enjoyed this book more than Day’s first novel.

I didn’t read Jamie Day’s first book, and probably wouldn’t have picked this one through Netgally if I had. It was a little immature and chaotic for my usually taste in suspense books.

Thanks to Netgally and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

To all my bookish friends…..

I have a PSA

If you have not already request, pre-ordered or heard of this book I am about to share with you, you need to drop what you are doing and RUN on over to request/ pre-order this book.

Holy Freaking Smoke 💨

One Big Happy Family

I know I asked you all to pick my next book and well majority didn’t win in this case 🤣 of course my little squirrel brain had other intentions . I saw the cover and said let’s just read the first chapter and see how it plays out .

Oh no no no …

This is not how it worked out . One chapter turned into 2, turned into 3, ended in finishing this entire book in one sitting (and it’s a big one!)

My mind is completely blown!!!! The narration was done with perfection. The details had me in awe and just the story itself had me completely consumed . I could not get enough!

Teaser :

Could this reunion be the death of them?

The Precipice is a legendary, family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters--Iris, Vicki, and Faith--have come for the weekend to claim it. But with a hurricane looming and each of the Bishop sisters harboring dangerous secrets, there's murder in the air-- and not everyone who checks into the Precipice will be checking out.

Each sister wants what is rightfully hers, and in the mix is the Precipe's nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelley: smart, resilient, older than her years, and in desperate straits.

The arrival of the Bishop sisters could spell disaster for Charley. Will they close the hotel? Fire her? Discover her habit of pilfering from guests? Or even worse, learn that she's using a guest room to hide a woman on the run.

With razor-sharp wit, heart, thrills, and twists, Jamie Day delivers a unique brand of SUMMERTIME SUSPENSE

I’d like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity the ARC of One Big Happy Family..
I love a “locked in” mystery, and will grab a book if I see this in the description. In this case, Charley, a maid at the Precipice Hotel, the Bishop sisters and their families, plus a stranded Bree looking for a place to hide are trapped at the hotel during a huge storm.

I really liked the character of Charley. The story is told from her perspective, and I felt the author did a great job of fleshing her out. I understood what she was feeling and why, the choices she made, and how she interacted with others.

The Bishop sisters arrive because their father recently passed and the reading of the will is happening. The characterization of the sisters and Vicki (the eldest sister) seemed very stereotypical and over the top. Vicki- super controlling; Faith- typical model; Iris- angry at everyone. Todd, Vicki’s husband, was stereotypical macho man. Hope- Faiths wife was over the top new age woman. However, I actually enjoyed most of their interactions and backstories. Some of it was repetitive, and Vicki had no subtlety so right off the bat I could care less about her!

Someone dies, and I figured out who it would be that died way before it happened. The author set it up so it was obvious- and everyone left had major reasons for wanting this person dead. Some reasons were left to be fleshed out in the rest of the story, though.

There is a lot going on in this story- but the author ties it all together. However, the ending! I was happy for one character, but felt the consequences for another character were ridiculous!

I did enjoy this and was engaged. I will probably read another by this author. If you are in the mood for a locked door mystery with over the top stereotypical characters- this might be for you. Sometimes reading that entertains and villains are written over the top is what I need on occasion!

Imagine being trapped in a hotel on the coast of Maine during a major hurricane. Now imagine that each of the guests are hiding secrets and the only way to survive is to uncover the truth. What follows is an intense thriller with lots of twists and action!

Charley lives and works at the hotel. When the owner dies and the three daughters come to the hotel to hear who will inherit what, she is worried that her life might change drastically. She needs this job to support her grandmother in her nursing home. The same day that the three sisters are coming to the hotel she meets Bree, who needs a place to hide from her abusive boyfriend. Charley, decides to help Bree but is risking her job to do it. After meeting the three sisters and their families things only get more intense as we find out that each sister has her own baggage in more ways than one.

This book was told from multiple points of view which helped keep me glued to the pages. The author did an excellent job keeping the reader on their toes. Lots of action, mystery, and even murder. This is one thriller fans won't want to miss.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars

Wow! This was SO FUN!

I would first like to thank the publisher for the invitation to read this ARC-- I was excited to dive in!

First off, having read The Block Party over the summer as my introduction to Jaime Day's writing, I was blown away by how different this one was. Some authors have a similar style or voice, with each novel, but this one was an entirely different beast, and in a good way.

The MC--Charley's- voice was authentic and vulnerable. I found her relatable in all the small details, in her hurts and insecurities, and was pleased that she wasn't annoyingly culpable, like some passive protagonists.

I loved how the author set up the backstory and revealed the history when he knew the reader needed it-- that way the big reveal to the other characters wouldn't feel contrived. Even though there was a LOT going on, he masterfully wove several intersecting plot lines, complete with flashbacks, and no tangling! He did not drop any balls, let me tell you! There is nothing more annoying than some arbitrary plot line or character dropped in for no reason, and a loose end left flapping in the proverbial breeze.

He also made sure that you clearly knew the character motivations, goals, and answered every question by the end of the story. Even though he reveals "spoilers" (we, the reader find out before the characters), he leaves in PLENTY of mystery to keep you turning the pages.

The only thing I wasn't crazy about was around the 30% mark, when the characters get into tarot card reading, having a gift to talk to spirits, and so on. I am very careful not to mess with or read about those realms, so unfortunately, I had to skip those pages entirely whenever it came upon it. I almost quit reading to be honest, but I wanted to see if it was pertinent to the story or just a one and done.

Of course, most of the characters are unlikeable-- and because there are many of them-- they aren't all fully fleshed out, but, this is a thriller after all and that is to be expected! As long as Charley was, I was OK with that.

Overall, the cover is eye-catching, and the setting is everything (Maine is forever on my bucket list). I could visualize the hotel-- and (having lived through too many hurricanes to count), could feel the ticking clock of not only the tension ramping up, but the hurricane as well.

I also loved the attention to detail when it came to action scenes, fight scenes, and the elements. It put you in the story as a (mostly) innocent bystander.

It's official-- Jaime Day is now one of my new favorite authors to auto-buy! I am so grateful for discovering his work through NetGalley. As a side note-- and BOTM member-- I would love to see his books offered in the Book of the Month subscription in the near future.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

One Big Happy Family is a whodunit full of mystery, intrigue, suspense, and lots of action. A cast of characters with so many secrets and when they are exposed everything changes. Kept me turning the pages and loved the ending.

I am going to have to pass on this review. I found after the reading of the will the story got too complicated. The backstory of the family when they lived in the house etc, is extremely hard to follow and I couldn't tell where the story was going.